Despite recent reports indicating real estate's heightened profile as an investment vehicle, especially to help plug the drain on stock market portfolios, most second home buyers move in for the sheer fun of it.

Fifty-one percent of second home buyers said they use their second home as a vacation getaway, 18 percent plan to retire in it, 16 percent use it to diversify investments, and 15 percent rent it out for income, according to "The 2002 National 2002 National Association Of Realtors Profile of Second-Home Owners".

"We've found that the decision to purchase a vacation home is purely emotional -- nobody, anywhere needs a second home. As one gets older and more prosperous, the vacation home becomes a blend of idyllically remembered family vacations overlaid with the desire to be in familiar and personal surroundings," said Lil Miller-Fox co-founder of PrivateCommunities.com, a Vero Beach, FL Website that showcases luxury retirement communities.

"This is consistent with the NAR survey that supports the notion that investment considerations aren't the primary motivators for second-home buyers," Miller-Fox added.

The percentage of those who buy financial shelters, however, is in the same neighborhood as those who buy a play house -- 31 percent of those surveyed are using second homes as an investment or income-producing vehicle.

Thirty-four percent of second-home buyers in the last two years were more likely to be planning to purchase an additional home as a result of recent stock market declines, while only 18 percent of earlier buyers made such an indication. Among people who said an additional home purchase in the next two years was possible or very likely, nearly 40 percent said the recent stock slump increased the likelihood of that purchase, while only 15 percent said it was less likely.

"When you look at the source of funds for people who bought a second home since 2000, equity in stocks or bonds were used by 16 percent of respondents," said Dennis Hanlon, chairman of NAR's Resort Forum.

"By contrast, for people who bought second homes prior to 2000, the sale of stocks or bonds accounted by only 7 percent of buyers. Clearly, recent buyers were more motivated by a desire to diversify portfolio assets," Hanlon added.

The second-home survey, was conducted jointly in October this year by NAR and EscapeHomes.com, a San Francisco-based online portal to second home listings and Resort Specialists.

The joint snail mail and email survey, sent to 93,000 consumers who owned a second property, generated 3,101 respondents.

"This is a timely study in the sense that it is an industry poised for growth because of a huge number of factors that are converging and compelling that growth," said Ken Brunt, vice president of EscapeHomes.com.

Factors include the growing population of aging baby-boomers retiring with record levels of equity income, tax-free profits of up to a half million dollars from the sale of homes, other investments performing poorly and a saber-rattling nation on the brink of war compelling home buyers to seek the security of reclusive retreats.

The study profiled the typical second home buyer as someone who is typically 61 years old, has owned the property for nine years, earns a household income of $76,900, is married and purchased the property for recreational use.

"The idea of a family retreat is important to many second-home owners, cited by 57 percent of respondents, but there are other lifestyle and investment considerations that motivate buyers. In short, this market is driven by middle-class baby boomers," said David Lereah, NAR's chief economist.

Including property, demographic, lifestyle and investment trends, the survey of second home owners found:

Published: November 21, 2002

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Broderick Perkins parlayed a career in old-school journalism into a contemporary digital news service that really hits home. The award-winning consumer journalist, originally from Wilmington, DE, is founder, publisher and executive editor of the bootstrap DeadlineNews Group, a Silicon Valley-based editorial content and consulting service specializing in residential real estate, consumer news and related editorial consulting services. The DeadlineNews Group includes the website, DeadlineNews.com, offering real estate editorial content and consulting services, and its back shop, the Deadline Newsroom, an open house on news that really hits home. Perkins obtained his formal journalism education from University of Delaware and a journalism boot camp, the Institute of Journalism Education at the University of California-Berkeley. He went on to 20 years of service as a daily newspaper journalist at the Wilmington, DE News Journal and San Jose, CA Mercury News. Perkins covered housing on the San Jose Mercury News reporting team which earned a General News Reporting Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has also produced real estate, consumer and small business content for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, RealtyTimes.com, Nolo.com, Better Homes and Gardens, the National Association of Realtors, Homestore/Move and Intuit/Quicken among more than three dozen publications. In addition to managing the DeadlineNews Group, Perkins most recently served as chief editorial consultant for Nolo's Essential Guide To Buying Your First Home, Nolo, and writes real estate television scripts for RealtyTimes.com.